An excerpt from Social Media Explorer about the boom in the so-called "social media experts" and agencies follows. Here is one of the many sales lines that you should look into according to the author:
We have an experienced social media team
Unfortunately, this is more often than not a bold faced lie. There aren’t enough people who have successfully created, implemented and measured a social media strategy for a business to work for all of these providers who are making these claims. I’ve seen this range from people who have no “real” experience in social media to a team of fresh out of college “interns” being managed by one person who has a little bit of experience. Make sure to ask exactly who will be working on your account and how much experience “each one” has in social media. Also, make sure to ask what companies they have developed and implemented social media strategies for. You will likely have some junior people in the mix, but you should have at least one who has been in the space long enough to know their elbow from their “rhymes with smash hole.” Read more...
via www.socialmediaexplorer.com
The conversation surrounding the legitimacy of the "social media expert" continues. This time, Social Media Explorer takes another run at it and it reminds me of a blog post from our blog that delved into the same issue back in 2009. Seems everyone is still attempting to sift through the bull to find some value. How long before the social media bubble bursts? Will it burst? Many seasoned marketers are beginning to come to the same conclusion--that ultimately social media is a tool within marketing's 360 mix. Learn how to work it to your advantage if it is a fit for your brand, but "no man liveth by social media alone." Thus sayeth, LMH.
